History Main / BeYourself

In RealLife, this is one of the important tenets of UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}}: one's purpose in life should not be judged or determined by society, but rather one should shape one's own purpose. Of course, this is a great oversimplification, and it doesn't account for how existentialism usually ''plays'' with this trope more than just rendering it straight ([[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche Nietzsche]], for example, would have probably disapproved the way this trope is commonly executed in modern media), but it remains as a popular way to explain it. Compare HonestyAesop, AgainstTheGrain. Goes with ConditionedToBeWeak, where a powerful character is only docile and submissive because they are conditioned to follow orders and/or fear their leader.

If this trope is played well, it can carry the message that you can be worthy of love and acceptance without sacrificing the things that make you who you are and to value your unique traits rather than hide them to fit in, but if done poorly or too often, [[UnfortunateImplications the message can imply]] that ''any'' kind of personal growth and self improvement are bad and [[StatusQuoIsGod you must never try a new look, pick up new interests, or make new friends]]. Or, worse, that you should be a {{Jerkass}} rather than [[TookALevelInKindness work to become a better person]]. Bonus points if a SubcultureOfTheWeek is featured to try to sway our hero to their side.

* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' spends much of the second season deciding whether he should be himself. Thing is, the "himself" he means is a serial killer...

** ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', however, subverts this -- Kuzco being himself means being the {{jerkass}} that he is until CharacterDevelopment finally kicks in.

* {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in ''Series/TheBoys2019'' by Stormfront in Season 2 and Homelander is Season 3. Both are characters who are forced to act in a specific manner by [[MegaCorp Vought]] to fit marketing views, and heavily desire to express their true selves. The problem is that Stormfront is [[spoiler:a literal Nazi who stopped aging due to Compound V]] while Homelander is a raging SuperSupremacist with a god complex and a PsychopathicManchild besides. Both of them being themselves is inherently detrimental toward anyone whom they don't like, as for them, "peope I don't like" equates to "ones who do not deserve to live".

* Music/{{Nirvana}}'s [[Music/{{Nevermind}} Come As You Are]] is about this

* Music/{{Oasis}}, "Supersonic"

* ''Series/{{Glee}}'': In one episode, token CampGay Kurt [[IJustWantToBeNormal just wants to be normal]], his standards for "normal" being his father, and musician John Mellencamp. For a glee club assignment, he performs Mellencamp's "Pink Houses", complete with false Southern Indiana accent. The teacher Will is visibly concerned, and by the episode's end, Kurt learns he was trying way too hard to be more like his dad, even if it meant not doing his hair and making out with [[TheBeard Brittany.]]

** In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS1E33MrBevis Mr. Bevis]]", Mr. James B.W. Bevis learns this {{A|nAesop}}esop after his GuardianAngel J. Hardy Hempstead makes him a SlaveToPR.
** In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E101CavenderIsComing Cavender is Coming]]", the GuardianAngel Harmon Cavender turns Agnes Grep into a very wealthy woman and a member of high society. After all of her old friends and neighbors fail to recognize her, she tells him that she was happy as she was, even though she was unemployed and behind on her rent. Cavender returns things to normal, telling Agnes that she is the richest woman that he knows and that money does not guarantee contentment.

* Subverted in ''Manga/NeighborhoodStory'', where the author obviously considers daring to be your eccentric self and going against the current in a society as stiff and homogeneous as the Japanese a sign of bravery and something admirable, but at the same she doesn't gloss over the hardships that being an oddball is likely to bring you. [[spoiler: Like being bullied and expelled from school and having close to no friends until you find more kindred spirits.]]

* Subverted in ''Manga/GokinjoMonogatari'', where the author obviously considers daring to be your eccentric self and going against the current in a society as stiff and homogeneous as the Japanese a sign of bravery and something admirable, but at the same she doesn't gloss over the hardships that being an oddball is likely to bring you. [[spoiler: Like being bullied and expelled from school and having close to no friends until you find more kindred spirits.]]

In RealLife, this is one of the important tenets of UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}}: one's purpose in life should not be judged or determined by society, but rather one should shape one's own purpose. Of course, this is a great oversimplification, and it doesn't account for how existentialism usually ''plays'' with this trope more than just rendering it straight ([[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche Nietzsche]], for example, would have probably disapproved the way this trope is commonly executed in modern media), but it remains as a popular way to explain it. Compare HonestyAesop, AgainstTheGrain.

* ''WebAnimation/{{Anon}}'': When Dani admits to Ian she wants to be with Hunter, Ian is happy as long as she's happy but reminds her not to change her personality to fit in with Hunter's lifestyle.

* Subverted on Israeli sitcom ''[=HaPijamot=]'': in season 2 ep. 1, when the eponymous band are working at a hotel, wannabe sensitive artist Elan fancies his coworker, and his bandmate Alona suggests this [[AnAesop Aesop]]. Ilan decides to take her advice, but while flirting with her he sees a cockroach, and [[EpicFail pushes her aside to run away screaming]]. Alona tells him he was himself, but unfortunately [[GoneHorriblyRight himself is a coward]].

-->'''Be yourself''': A stupid statement because no matter what you do, you're always ''yourself''.

* A [[https://www.cracked.com/article_23310_6-christian-movies-that-accidentally-sent-wrong-message.html 2016 article]] from ''[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Website/Cracked Cracked]]'' points out one example of how this trope is often hypocritical in practice with: ''Hangman's Curse: Always Be Yourself, Unless You're A Weirdo Or Something''.

* ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'': In chapter 80, the group gets separated by a flash flood during their hiking trip. This results in elderly Yaku being paired with Naddy, who does her darnedest to act as American as possible. This includes speaking in mangled language that's difficult even for modern day students to parse, never mind an 80 year-old. After a few instances of Yaku failing to comprehend a word Naddy says, she reverts to proper speech until Yaku, noticing the change, assures Naddy that she much prefers her usual energetic self, even if she can't always understand it. A more cheerful Naddy is ready to find the rest of their friends.
--> '''Naddy:''' Let's get a move on, El Grande Madre!\\
'''Yaku:''' Are you taking to me?

** Being true to yourself is Jughead's core tenet in ''ComicBook/Archie2015'':

* The center of Whisper's arc in ''Fanfic/BoldoresAndBoomsticks''. She adores Weiss so much that she wants to fight ''exactly'' like her, even though they have different dominant hands and abilities.

--> '''Gobber''': You need to stop all..this.
--> '''Hiccup''': But you just pointed to all of me!
--> '''Gobber''': Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you!

* Thoroughly deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox''. Exactly what "being yourself" means to the animals in the film is never clear--they straddle the line between the humans and the truly wild wolf. At the beginning, they act like humans, with lawyers, gym teachers, and newspaper columnists. The film later asks, how much like yourself should you be, when that self is brilliant but destructive? We never really get a good answer.

* Subverted completely in ''[[Film/BertieAndElizabeth Bertie & Elizabeth]]''. Edward VIII was made to look like an uncommon jerk for being himself. George VI was praised for being a WisePrince. The message was "do your duty" not "be yourself". It helps that Edward VIII ''was'' a RoyalBrat with more of a care for his pleasure than his duty and that George VI is to this day one of England's most beloved monarchs due to his [[InItsHourOfNeed steadfast]] [[TheHeart leadership]] [[PapaWolf during]] UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* Theodora gives a rousing little speech about being a modern woman, and the importance of being yourself in ''Film/TheodoraGoesWild''.

* In ''[[Film/HouseParty House Party 3]]'', Kid goes to his questionably-sane Uncle Vester for advice on how to get his fiancee's parents to like him. Vester's response?

* [[Literature/TheBible Psalms 139]] invokes about being yourself that God made and loved you before you were born.

* {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in ''Series/TheBoys2019'' by Stormfront in Season 2 and Homelander is Season 3. Both are characters who are forced to act in a specific manner by [[MegaCorp Vought]] to fit marketing views, and heavily desire to express their true selves. The problem is that Stormfront is an alt-right figure [[spoiler:who is later revealed to be a ''literal'' Nazi who stopped aging due to Compound V]] while Homelander is a raging SuperSupremacist with a [[AGodAmI god complex]] and a PsychopathicManchild besides. Both of them being themselves is inherently detrimental toward anyone whom they don't like, as for them, "peope I don't like" equates to "ones who do not deserve to live".
* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': Multiple episodes have had this as the [[AnAesop moral]], most notably "Will the Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up," "The Personality Kid" and "Today I Am a Freshman."
* [[BrokenAesop Broken]] by ''Series/FamilyMatters'' with "Stefan Urquelle". And then reconstructed when Laura decides she loves regular Steve, instead of letting him be Stefan permanently.
** But the fact that Steve ended up with Laura is a painful [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of this trope in itself. Laura had always refused to give Steve a chance until he suddenly stopped wearing suspenders and "improved himself". But he gladly did all of this just to end up with his "true love", despite the fact that he was already dating another girl, Myra, who had been in love with his true self from as soon as she met him.

* ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'':

--->'''Claudia:''' Umm... maybe I should stick with the computer stuff. I'm really not good at the interviews. Especially with the... people.
--->'''Myka:''' Why do you say that?
--->'''Claudia:''' Well, I tried to be like you, you know all professional and adult and...
--->'''Myka:''' [Burst into laughter] That... that is ''really'' dumb!
--->'''Claudia:''' Is this your version of a pep talk?
--->'''Myka:''' We already have one me, we don't need another me. I want you to go in there and be more like... you.

In real life, this is one of the important tenets of UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}}: one's purpose in life should not be judged or determined by society, but rather one should shape one's own purpose. Of course, this is a great oversimplification, and it doesn't account for how existentialism usually ''plays'' with this trope more than just rendering it straight ([[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche Nietzsche]], for example, would have probably disapproved the way this trope is commonly executed in modern media), but it remains as a popular way to explain it. Compare HonestyAesop, AgainstTheGrain.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel II'' [[spoiler:Valimar]] essentially tells the main protagonist, Rean Schwarzer, this, noting that there's little point in him trying to be someone or something that he's not.